Bin divider



Jan. 15, 1929.

, 1,698,946 YFl. A. EDGREN BIN DIVIDER Filed Aug-13, 1926 2 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. l5, 1929. 1,698,946

R. A. EDGREN BIN DIVIDER Filed Aug.l3, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i E l 15 MKM Patentedl Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES ROY ARTHUR EDGREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BIN DIVIDER.

Application led August 13, 1926. Serial No. 129,024.

My invention relates to means whereby the various compartments or shelves, which are xedly secured in place within the cabinet, may be divided into separate bins or compartments and the compartmentsl resulting from the Xedly secured shelves made of less transverse w-idth to adapt the cabinet to different commodities of varying size and nature; the invention contemplating means adjustably secured in place to permit placing of the dividers at any desired point relative to the side walls of the cabinet, to' suit requirements.

Another object of my invention is to also provide means which may be adjustable relative to the front and rear walls to provide compartments of less depth or rearward dimensions than the normal depth of the cabinet.

The objects and advantages of m .invention will be readily comprehended rom the' detailed description of the accompanying drawings, wherein- A Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cabinet c5 provided with my improved adjustable d1- viders.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. y

Figure 3' is a horizontal sectional view of a cabinet showing the application of my 1mproved false back.

Figure L1 is a detail sectional view of one end of the bin or compartment divider illustrating the form employed in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the false back. v

Figure 6 is a detail sectional elevation of a portion of the rear end of a cabinet illustrating a modified form of my improved bin divider.

Figure 7 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the front end of a cabinet and portion of bin divider illustrating another modified form of securing the divider in place.

Figure 8 is'a detail sectional elevation illustrating another modification of fastening for the rear end of the divider'.

Figure 9 is a similar view illustrating a further modification.

Figure 10 is a detail sectional elevationy illustrating a further modified form for securing the lower end of the divider in place Y Qat the rear end of the cabinet.

My invention relates more particularly to means for dividing the various bins of a cabinet into a number of small compartments of any desired size in so far as lateral dimensions are concerned, as well as to means whereby the depth of the bin from front to rear may also be controlled. That is to say, my invention relates more particularly to a cabinet preferably constructed of sheet metal having top, bottom and side walls, generally indicated at 15 in Figures 1 and 2, and provided with permanently secured shelves 16 whereby the cabinet is divided into more or less standard sized bins or compartments. In order to adapt the cabinet to various uses and needs and thus obviate the necessity of constructing a numberless lot of special metal cabinets, I provide myimproved bin dividers consisting of the sheet metal plate or partition 17 adapted. to extend from front to rear of the cabinet as .shown in Figure 2 and provided with means whereby the dividersmay be positioned to provide bins or compartments of any desired lateral width as illustrated at 18 in Figure 1.

In the exempliication of the invention as illustrated in Figure 2, the rear ends of the shelves 16 are shown turned downward and forward at 19 so as to provide the short horizontally disposed flange portion 20 spaced below the shelf proper; while the top of the cabinet, at the rear inner side is shown provided with the angle plate or bar 21 which extends from side to side of the cabinetas is also true of the rear bent` ends of the shelves. The dividers 17 are preferably made of slightly less vertical height than the height of the bin in order to provide slight clearance between the top of the Adivider and the shelf `16 or cabinet top, as-

shown in Figure 2 to permit easy insertion of the dividers.' The rear end of the divider is cut away at 22 to receive the angle bar 21 in one instance and the forwardly disposed fia-nge 20 in the other instances; and the rear ends of the dividers 17 in Figure 2 are beaded or curled upon themselves as shovvn at 23 to provide a channel or socket. The upper end of the bead or curl is provided with a pin or projection 24adapted to enter a suitable slot or hole formed in the angle ,member .'21 and in the forwardly dis-I posed flanges 20 of the cabinet top and the shelves, respectively.,

vdivider is to be inserte The forward ends of the dividers 17 in Figure 2 are likewise beaded or curled upon themselves at 25 in order to provide a channel or socket in which a pin or plunger 26 is slidably mounted. The pins 24 in this form are fixedly secured in place. The forward end of the curled lportion 25 is slotted at 27 for vpassage of the button or finger grasp 28 threaded in or otherwise suitably secured to plunger 26. The channel formed by the curl or bead 25 is shown provided with a suitable coil spring 29 which normally maintains the plunger or pin 26 in its depressed position shown in Figure 4 when the divider is in proper position. The forward longitudinal ends of the shelves 16 are shown provided with holes 30, see Fig? ure 3, preferably arranged equal distances apart. throughout the transverse length of the shelf for the purpose of receiving pin orplunger 26; and the rear longitudinal edge ofthe shelves, at points inl alignment with the holes 30, are also preferably provided with openings 30, as shown in Figure The plungers or pins 26, in the construction shown in Figures 2 and 4, are intended not only to pass through the respective holes 30 at the forward ends of the .shelves 16, but also to enter the upper end of the socket or channel formed by theforward curled end 25 of the next succeeding lower divider 17, see Figures 2 and 4. That is to say, where the dividers between the succeeding shelves are to be arranged in vertical alignment with each other as indicated at 31 in Figure 1, the plunger or pin 26 not only retains the forward end of the one divider 17 in place,- but also holds the upper end of the lower divider in place. With the construction shown in Figures 2 and 4, the dividers 17 are inserted by' sliding the dividers rearwardly between the respective shelves at the desired point in alignment with a slot in flange 20 or 21, so as to permitA the short pins 24 at the rear end toenter the openings or slots in the angle member 21, while the pins 26 at the forward end are forced upwardly against the action of the springs until the plungers or pins 26. register with the proper hole 30 at the forward edge of the shelf; the plungers then being (geleased. Where a immediately i beneath,the pin or plunger 26 of the divider above is retracted sufficiently until the lower divider is vertically positioned and its socket aligned with the upper pin or plunger 26. Where the dividers 17, between the respective shelves are not to be arranged in vertical alignment, but are to be disposed in the staggered relation indicated at 32 in Figurt` 1,

the spring-controlled plunger 26 may be omitted. That is to say, a divider 17 a, a p01'- tion whereof is shown liu Figure 7, may be employed having the forward rurled or beaded end 25 and the forward end of the divider held in place by means of a` loose headed pin 33,' see Figure 7, inserted through an opening 30 in the shelf 16 immediately above the divider 17a; it being understood that the rear or inner end of the divider 17a may be of the construction illustrated in Figure 2. My reason .for employing the fastenine'means illustrated in Figure 7 i11- stead of employing the spring controlled flanged end may be omitted and the shelf'- adjacent to the rear longitudinal edge provided with holes 30, as in Figure 3, aligned with those adjacent to the forward edge. If the permanent pins 24 are employed they may be of length just-sufficient to enter the hole in the shelf above; the dividers being inserted in an inclining manner to permit the stationary pins 24 to enterA the hole, at which time the divider may be righted or brought to a per endicular position. Of course, if desired t e pin at the rear end of the divider may be of the construction shown' in Figure 4; that is to say, the fpins at both ends of the divider may be -o controlledV type shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 6 I show a modified form wherein the divider17b, at the rear end, is secured in place both atto and bottom by providing the lower end oft e curl or beaded portion 23with a stationary pin or lug 34 while the upper end of the channel or socket formed by the bead or curl 'is provided with a spring-controlled plunger or pin 35 conthe spring trolled by the finger grasp or button 36 eX-- tending through a, slot 37 in the bead; the

plunger beingv normallyforced upwardly bythe coil spring indicated in dotted lines at 38. The construction in Figure 6 differs from that in Figure 2 in that both top and lower rear ends of the divider are secured in place; the forward end of the divider being held in position by either employing the method shown in Figure-4 or the method disclosed in Figure 7 de ending upon 'the arrangement of the divlders intermediate of the succeeding shelves.'-v

With the constructiony shown iny Figure 6, the divider is inserted in an inclining manner until the stationary pin 34 is in the desired hole in the shelf; the divider then righted and plunger or. pin 35 released.

In Figure 8, lI illustrate a' dividerv which may be substantially like the divider 17h, except-that in this instancethe shelf 16n at the rear end is or plate of Z-shape-contiguration 1n crosssection as shown at 39 .and secured to the bottom at therear side oftheshelf 16a to proprovided with a separate bar vide the horizontally disposed flange portion apertured to receive the spring-controlled pin or plunger 85.

In Figure 9 the shelves 16b of the cabinet at their inner ends are formed with the forwardly and thence upwardly bent edgepresenting the box-like formation having the upstanding flange portion 41 apertured to receive a .ixedly secured pin 42 secured in the upper edge of the divider and disposed horizontally rearward from the divider 17C. The pin 42 is suitably secured to the divider 17, as for example by beading or curling the rear upper edge about the pin as shown. In this construction, the rear lower end of the divider 17c is also socketed in any suitable manner to provide a channel for the pin or plunger 43 having finger grasp 44 extending through a suitable slot in the beaded or curled portion of the divider; the pin or plunger being depressed by means of a suitable spring indicated in dotted lines at 45.

In Figure 10, I illustrate another modified form of my invention in so far as the rear ends of the shelf and of .the divider 17 d are concerned. The shelf 16c of the cabinet is formed at the rear end with an upturned.

longitudinal edge bent upwardly and rearwardly into the channel formation illustrated, with a depending side or flange 46 of the channel portion secured to the rear wall 47 of the cabinet 15. In this construction, the upstanding rear edge of the shelf 16 is apertured to receive a xedly secured pin 48 arran ed in the lower rear edge of the divider 1 d; the pin 48 being shown secured in place by curling thev rear lower edge of the divider about lthe pin.

With my improved dividers, it is apparent that more or less standard sized cabinets may readily be converted into a series of varying bins and thus adapted to commodities of different sizes; for example, for the Apurpose of holding automobile parts, ma-

chine elements, etc., while at the same time the compartments or bins may readily be enlarged or made smaller t0 accommodate the bin or cabinet .the different uses. The various types of dividers, with the shelves formed as shown, will permit an arrangement of`dividers in vertical alignment with each other between succeeding shelves; or permit an arrangement of dividers in vertical staggeredv relation Where one'shelf is t0 be divided into a certain sized bin or com-yy partment, while-the next succeeding shelf is to be divided into diiferent sizedbins or compartments; the use of the proper divider in all instances permitting a flush unobstructed shelf to be obtained.

My invention also consists in providing 'a false back 49, shown in detail in Figure 5, consisting'of a plate 50 of suitable length ,and width to adapt' it to the spacing intermediate of the succeeding shelves. The

plate 50, atits rear lower edge, is provided with an arm 51 fixedly secured thereto and apertured to receive a bolt 52 which latter extends through a longitudinal slot 53 formed in a lapping bar 54, the free outer end whereof is bent at right angles, as shown at 55, to engage with the rear wall 47 of the cabinet. The two arms or bars 5l and 54 are adjustably secured together by the bolt 52, the threaded end whereof is provided with a suitable nut 56, see Figure 3. With this construction it is apparent that the horizontal depth of the compartment or bin may .be regulated by contracting or distending stood as limiting myself to the exact con-` structions shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a metallic cabinet provided with shelves, the rear longitudinal edges of the shelves being flanged and the flanges provided with pin receiving openings while the forward longitudinaledges of ,the shelves have spaced openings in alignment with those inthe ilanges, sheet metal plates adapted to fit vertically betweenthe respective shelves, the marginal edges of lthe plates being curled upon themselves to provide sockets, and pins mountedJ in said sock- .ets and insertible in said openings and in said sockets for removably securing each plate in place.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a cabinet provided with shelves having spaced apertures along the front longitudinal edges, the shelves at their rear longltudinal edge having angularly dis- 4 -posed o set portions extending throughout lthe length of the shelves and provided with spaced apertures aligned with the apertures at the front edges of the shelves, said oiset portions being adapted to provide pin-receiving sockets, partition membersadapted to it vertically between the respective shelves, the rear edges of said members being curled upon themselves to provide pin-receiving sockets, pins carried in said sockets and insertible in Ithe apertures at the front longitudinal edges of the shelves and in the apertures of said otfset portions so as not to project above the shelves. ROY ARTHUR EDGREN. 

